WHY ORGANIC?

The Omero Moretti Azienda Agraria is a family-farm located in the Montefalco Area in Umbria, Italy.

Founded by the farmer Omero Moretti, the winery obtained its organic certification in 1992. Omero’ s father, Giuseppe, sold wine in bulk, until Omero decided to bottle a 100%. Sagrantino.
Sagrantino grapes traditionally planted around Montefalco have the highest levels of polyphenols and tannins of any grape. A wine of great longevity, with seriously dense tannins, Sagrantino was used in holy mass, hence its name (sacer is Latin for sacred) The production of organic Sagrantino was a challenge initiated by Omero, and now his daughter Giusi is taking things forward. The key word in Cantina Moretti is craftsmanship. Favoring the cultivation of native varieties the family is responsible for every stage of production: from harvesting by hand, through winemaking, to leading tastings in the cantina or around the world.

What does it mean to grow the Sagrantino grape with the organic method?
Sagrantino grapes ripen very late: they are still on the vine in mid-October. To ensure the bunches remain free from disease – even during the autumn mists- requires a lot of work. Everything is done to make sure that the grapes arrive at the cantina in optimum condition, even in difficult vintages. In organic agriculture, it is necessary to stimulate the plants’ natural resistance to disease, without using fungicides and insecticides. Only in difficult years do we resort to using copper and sulfur. These two substances can’t cure diseases, but can halt the advance of moulds and fungi. They have often helped in the cultivation of such a late maturing grape, like Sagrantino. Copper and sulfur are water-soluble, so when it rains we have quickly to check if the grapes need another spray session. Rainy seasons are stressing for us! Sagrantino vines display very vigorous growth of leaves. Our prime objective is always the perfect ripening of the grapes. So leaves need be removed from the vines throughout the growing season, all by hand! This had led to a detailed knowledge of every inch of our vineyards. Our approach varies from micro-zone to micro-zone, according to the growth and balance of each. Each bunch of grapes is carefully selected by eye, hand-picked, placed in small crates and transported to the cantina as quickly as possible.

What are the problems inherent in producing an organic Sagrantino as opposed to a conventional one?
In our cantina we have a policy: high-technology to reach a low-intervention. For the fermentation of our Sagrantino we have enlisted the help of the University of Perugia: together we selected the best indigenous yeasts of our own grapes. Our Montefalco Sagrantino DOCG has had its fermentation started with this yeast for several years. This method has encouraged the expression in this wine of the true aromas of this variety: red berries, especially in vintages where ripening has been slow. For the next harvest, we will start doing the same thing with Trebbiano Spoletino, an indigenous white variety with great acidity. In organic wine-making it is permitted to use substances like isinglass and albumen. We, however, do not use any of these animal-derived ingredients, so we have obtained vegan certification for our IGT red wine. At the cantina Moretti we strive to improve the expression of each variety and the potential of each individual vineyard.

We also produce extra-vigin olive oil and in 2013 it was nominated “The best Umbrian Extra-Virgin Olive Oil!”

Here is a curiosity: each of Omero’s labels contains a quotation from the Odyssey — Omero is Homer in Italian.